The Lakers game against the Charlotte Hornets scheduled for Thursday has been postponed because of the continuing wildfire crisis in Los Angeles County, according to people familiar with the decision not authorized to speak publicly.
The game was scheduled to tip off at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The NBA has not yet announced a new date for the contest or how tickets for the postponed game will be handled.
The Lakers’ next scheduled game is Saturday at Crypto.com Arena against San Antonio.
The decision, which came a day after the NBA said it was monitoring the situation, comes as members of the organization try to sort through the devastation of the fires that affected people inside the Lakers, their friends and their families.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick, who had been renting a home in Pacific Palisades, had his family evacuated early Tuesday.
“I just want to acknowledge and send thoughts and prayers to everyone in the Palisades right now. It’s where I live. My family and my wife’s family, my wife’s twin sister, they’ve evacuated. I know that a lot of people are freaking out right now, including my family,” he said before the Lakers played in Dallas on Tuesday. “And from the sound of things with the winds coming tonight, I know a lot of people are scared. So I just want to acknowledge that. Thoughts and prayers for sure. I hope everybody stays safe.”
Elsewhere in the NBA, Clippers star Kawhi Leonard missed the team’s loss at Denver on Wednesday to be with his family after they evacuated from the Palisades area. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said his mother had to flee her home in Pacific Palisades on Tuesday and the Golden State video coordinator’s childhood home was lost to the fires. Lakers president Jeanie Buss has deep Los Angeles roots and attended Palisades High, which suffered fire damage.